Chinese Stars - Youth Revisited!

K

KnifeFury

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Sep 21, 2006
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Chinese Stars - Youth Revisited!

Of course when I was young I wanted to be a Ninja (I had a wall-hanger sword, sai’s, Chinese stars, Nun-chucks, etc...)!

I recently found some old Chinese Stars I used to play with in my early teen years! I was debating ordering some more throwing stars for laughs. At the time I bought most of these at flee markets in Chicago. I remember throwing stars to be a blast in my youth!

Any idea on where some good place online are to pick up some good throwing stars?

I also noticed that most of the stars I have either have stamped "Surgical Steel", "Carbon Steel, or nothing - so you basically have no idea what steel is used. The two marked ones were the ones I threw the most and seemed to hold up well, considering I used to throw them at our wood fence! (these are the two in the upper left in the image; the black one is the carbon and the square looking one is the surgical).

2006-08ThrowingToys.jpg
 
throwing stars are great fun to play with :cool:

the IGA and KOGA stars are the best. i've added a modified pic of your pic, where i rated the "throwing-quality" of all.

trust me, i got plenty experence with these lil' buggers ;)

toy can buy 'em practically everywhere online, even on amazon. most are made by Valor Corp., Parker and Frost. the heavy ones with 4/5 points are the best. forget the crappy looking 12-pointers with Chinese characters on it on gold. they suck a$$

stars.jpg



enjoy!

denn
 
they are sold at a few on line stores, but watch your local laws as several states have passed laws banning these over the last ten years.....try Bladeplay.com or Stu711.com
 
I like the updated pic "dennis75". The Square looking one (#5 on "dennis75" modified pic) is indeed made by "Valor" in Japan. Actually this is the one I always like throwing the best. Every single edge is sharpened so, if thrown hard enough, it would sitck in wood even if it hit flat against it (not point in).

With the Black Star (also made by "Valor") you had the potential to have it bounce of the target if it does not dig in just right. It has happened to me many times! :D

The two throwing knives are Hibbens throwers that I picked up at a flea market for some light throwing. Not as much fun as throwing chinese stars! They looked cool at the time, I was young!

"tom19176", I guess now that I live in Michigan, USA I probably should check the laws! 3 of the 5 I purchased in Illinois and the other 2 in Colorado.
 
"Legal Disclaimer:
-----------------
Weapons will not be sold to minors. All weapons are for demonstration or decorative purposes only. If used for demonstration, expert care and supervision should be exercised. These cannot be shipped to all states or countries. Some weapons are prohibited in New York, California and Massachusetts. Customer is responsible for knowing the laws of your state/country and are responsibe for any shipments confiscated by local law enforcement or customs. "
 
http://www.Budk.com
This site works well for all wepapons, but they have a throwing and ninja section that has throwing knives, axes, and stars, they also have the royal flush trowing cards. Really cool if you know how to throw playing cards. If I had the space to use them I would probably get a set, but I dont. Well, enough random speech.
 
Watch BudK as their quailty is really low. Stu711 has the best prices and Great customer services
 
I used to have a couple stars shaped like #3 in the image Dennis photoshopped. I used to flick them at this big elm tree in my yard and get them to stick pretty well. I also remember the time some idiot kid back in my high school days got himself suspended for a week for making a "throwing star" (according to the principal) in metals-shop class by welding together a bunch of nails into a fist-sized spike ball (I'd think it is more of a caltrop than a star). Pretty good idea - no matter how you throw it, one of the points is always directed towards the target.

Don't know what happened to my old stars. I'm considering buying a few Cold Steel mini-throwers. Handled one at a local gun show and they seemed very well made. Given CS's reputation for tough products in their Proof DVD, I'd bet their throwers should stand up to a bit of abuse.
 
I have half a dozen I keep on my desk and use as small paperweights.

As weapons, the shuriken is and was always a harassment weapon, and not expected to do serious damage. Given that and the current attitudes about weapons by most folks, for tactical use I favor a few heavy washers. They won't stick anything except a chunk of styrofoam (for a practice target) but would still serve as a distraction for an attacker. On the other hand, if for whatever reason you ended up being searched by a LEO and he turned up a handful of throwing stars, you might have a difficult time explaining.
 
not2sharp said:
There are some excellent quality traditional stars available from:

http://www.budoweapons.com/welcome.htm
Click to expand...

There are some stars here that I would be interested in, but it looks like none of them are in stock, since only the rubber stars have an "Add to Cart" button.

It does seem like you get a better value if you buy a set of 9. I just emailed "green27712@yahoo.com" with some questions on the items he has (How they are made, what steel, are they fully sharpened, and shipping).
 
Wow, "Ed Green" responded quickly. Long email too!

One interesting point (to quote him)....
Now on to some other facts. when you say sharpened do you mean the edges? FYI, traiditonally shaken (japanese plural for shuriken) we never sharpened on the edges. Imagine reaching into your pocket and trying to pulll out a handful of those cheap flea market versions only to have your hands cut by the razor edge blades oin the edges. Shuriken were never meant to be death dealing instruments but rather injury causing and distraction devices to allow escape. I only bevel the edges to facilitate stable flight and release they are not sharpened on the edges. If you choose to do so that is at your own risk and choice. I personally have been throwing items from double bit axes to sewing needles for over 25 years and find that the cheap flea market version are fun to throw but require little skill in throwing them correctly. they are also a pain in the butt to remove from targhets without the use of some implement to hold them so that you don't cut your fingers to the bone.
Click to expand...
 
I have found Ed's shaken to be very easy to use; much easier then some of the flea market types. Number 5, on that top picture can be hard to throw. It is a heavy piece with heavy ax-like edges that has to be thrown with force to get it to stick. It does make up for it by making a satisfying solid sound when it hits. I usually throw a set of the six pointed pattern (#3), which I usually touch up with a bastard file; and, which are slowly being reduced to nothing. It is as good a place as any to start, and once you get the hang of it you can pretty much throw them all.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
I have found Ed's shaken to be very easy to use; much easier then some of the flea market types.
Click to expand...

I was curious which of Ed's designs you recommend for a try out?
..A. ROPPO SHAKEN - Koburi Ryu (6 point star)
..B. Togakure Ryu Senban (#5 like design)
..C. Koto Ryu Senban (4 point "thick" star)
..D. JUJI SHAKEN (4 point "thin" star)

I would probably lean towards with "A" or "C", except with "A" you have to buy 9! The website really does not say how big these things are.

It was an interesting comment about having sharp shuriken in your pocket! That could be very, very dangerous! :eek:
 
KnifeFury said:
I was curious which of Ed's designs you recommend for a try out?
..A. ROPPO SHAKEN - Koburi Ryu (6 point star)
..B. Togakure Ryu Senban (#5 like design)
..C. Koto Ryu Senban (4 point "thick" star)
..D. JUJI SHAKEN (4 point "thin" star)

I would probably lean towards with "A" or "C", except with "A" you have to buy 9! The website really does not say how big these things are.

It was an interesting comment about having sharp shuriken in your pocket! That could be very, very dangerous! :eek:
Click to expand...

I have As and Cs, with Ds on backorder; and eventually I might give B a try too. I am not too worried about the pockets since 1) I am not a ninja - nor do I pretend to be; and, 2) I usually carry them in a sturdy leather pouch.

n2s
 
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